This is the city: Los Angeles, California. I work here. I'm an ex-mayor. Los Angeles is a magnet for people from all over the world. Some of them run for public office. Inevitably some of them stray from the golden rule and rule for those that have the gold. That's when I go to work. My name is Yorty. I'm a dead pol.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Wednesday

Assemblyman Lloyd "The Bachelor" Levine will conduct a town hall meeting Wednesday on keeping elephants in captivity. Soon to retire "The Price is Right'' host Bob Barker is expected to announce a $300,000 pledge to help move the Los Angeles Zoo's African elephant to a sanctuary. This is an issue that the Sister City agrees with the Bachelor on for a change. We've stated before that elephants need acres and acres to roam and no matter how much Tom LeBong wants it, its just not a good idea to have elephants at the zoo. With today's technology a virtual elephant exhibit could be developed that could just as easily educate as the real thing.

Wednesday afternoon Councilwoman Jan Perry will hold a news conference to announce the reopening of the Triforium at Fletcher Bowron Square. This is the disco era moog playing light show sculpture that cost over a million dollars some thirty years ago and has been shuttered most of the time since. The late great LA Times writer Jack Smith once referred to the artwork as "three wishbones in search of a turkey."

Patt Morrison's radio show on Wednesday will cover the Mayor's LAUSD takeover and some of the political fallout since. Yet to be named pro and con speakers will debate followed by an interview by collateral damage school board member, David Tokofsky. 2:00 p.m. on KPCC 89.3 FM.

Green Dot Public Schools, a private operator of public schools in Los Angeles announced today that Marco Petruzzi will join their senior executive staff as President and COO. Petruzzi will be succeeding current President and COO Marshall Tuck who is joining Mayor Villaraigosa’s new education leadership team. With all the money flowing into these efforts and the Mayor's takeover of the LAUSD I believe Congressional hearings should investigate all this activity just to make sure its all kosher. Nancy Pelosi are you listening?

Los Angeles City Nerd covers the obscure topic of crosswalk push buttons here in Los Angeles. Just like an elevator, you only have to push the button once to get the desired result. Pushing it over and over again - even though it makes us feel like we're doing something - is a complete exercise in futility.

This morning as I drove to the office I noticed one of those articulated gray Metro Line Orange Line buses heading west on Chandler and not in its special former railway right of way track. Turns out a one-mile stretch of the busway between Valley College and North Hollywood is being repaved. Construction is expected to take two weeks.

SEN. Richard Alarcón ran without competition in the 39th Assembly District race in November, and now it seems he will run for the Los Angeles City Council in the 7th District with little opposition.

It's too bad for the people of the 7th District and for the community as a whole.

Two prominent candidates for the council - Felipe Fuentes and Cindy Montañez - abandoned their campaigns on Monday.

Either of these younger politicians would have brought fresh energy to the council, and the fact that they dropped out of the race at the same time fuels speculation that power in Los Angeles was once again brokered in backroom deals rather than in public campaigns.

Fuentes and Montañez realized that Alarcón's name recognition and ability to raise money would have made it hard for them to compete in the short time before the special election to replace Alex Padilla.

It was that, or they were offered some sort of deal to get out, promises of filling Alarcon's Assembly seat or another high-powered political post. Perhaps it was a combination of such factors.

But for all real purposes, the race is over. And the clear loser is the public, not getting to decide who will represent it.

Noncompetitive races are at the heart of what's wrong with California's political system.

When politicians and political parties know that certain seats are safe, they have little incentive to engage in a genuine public debate or to shape their policies and positions for their constituents' benefit. And those who might better represent the people are shut out of the process altogether unless they are anointed by the power brokers.

Alarcón has made a mockery of the system that he professes to respect. His cynical action has exposed much of what's wrong with a political system that for too long has failed the people. The system is so rigged that even political insiders like Montanez and Fuentes don't have a chance against someone with enough money and clout. The two quit without a fight, without showing the courage to challenge a broken system.

This situation just illustrates why an independent redrawing of the political districts is so essential to California's future - and why fundamental changes must be made to encourage grass-roots democracy.

10:57, 10:04, 12:34, I would not be so quick to call out the good Mayor over his "JIMMA" comment. Who can't forget the double digit inflation and unemployment that took place during his administration. But more important was his duel with the "KILLER RABBIT" on that pond during a fishing outing. One can't forget the photo in the HERALD, R.I.P., in which Carter is seen hitting at the rabbit. If that rabbit is still around, Give the darn thing a "MEDAL OF FREEDOM" for trying to save the country from the ineptment of Carter.

Who can forget "ODD and EVEN DAYS" for buying gas in California. Plus in CD 14, that sleep over party at the Rodriguez household in Hillside Village. Alot of good it did for Rodriguez's political aspirations.

Editor’s Note: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gave only two interviews in LA recently, one to CNN and the other, interestingly, to La Opinion, a Spanish language newspaper. There are strategic reasons behind the move, reports NAM editor Daffodil Altan.

LOS ANGELES – A strange thing happened in L.A. a few weeks ago. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was in town for a conference. While in town, he granted exactly two exclusive interviews, one to CNN and the other to the Spanish language newspaper, La Opinion, the largest in the country with an average of 450,000 daily readers.

“It put us on the map as an important newspaper,” says Gabriel Lerner, state and national editor of La Opinion, of the fact that no other print media outlet was granted an interview. “The success of the interview depended on whether he would talk to me about issues beyond terrorism and negotiations,” says Lerner.

Lerner traveled to the heavily guarded top floor suite of Olmert’s hotel to conduct the exclusive interview in mid-November. He was surprised, he says, by the fact that the Prime Minister, “talked about things we care about at the paper.” And one of the things the paper cares about most, says Lerner, is immigration.

Regency Provided Billboards To Candidates, Fined(CBS) LOS ANGELES The Ethics Commission issued a $34,874 fine Tuesday to Regency Outdoor Advertising for violating disclosure rules, when it provided 188 billboards to support several candidates running for city office in 2001.

The commission rejected state Administrative Law Judge Daniel Juarez's recommendation to levy a $7,000 fine, saying that it was too low, while finding that the maximum possible fine of $970,000 was too high because the company's failed disclosure was "inadvertent."

The operator of DTR Travel Retail Inc., In-Flight Services USA and the 6752 Collins Ave. Corp. were reprimanded for making a $1,500 contribution to Smith's successful 2003 campaign.

The three businesses are owned by the same person, and city laws limit an individual to make a $500 maximum contribution per candidate in each election cycle, according to an Ethics Commission report.

Sean Kim, the majority owner of United Crane and Unite Steel, was reprimanded for making a $1,000 campaign contribution to Antonio Villaraigosa's successful 2003 bid for City Council, according to an Ethics Commission report. Villaraigosa was elected mayor in 2005.

Alan Rothenberg, president of the Los Angeles Airport Commission, and Daisy Ma were reprimanded for making campaign contributions of $750 and $800, respectively, to Villaraigosa's 2003 council campaign.

Here's one for you Zuma. They should have these raids in LA's garment district.ICE RAIDED MEAT PLANTS AROUND THE NATION: plants in Greeley; Grand Island, Neb.; Cactus, Texas; Hyrum, Utah; Marshalltown, Iowa; and Worthington, Minn.The United Food and Commercial International Workers union said it would ask federal judges in all six states to halt the raids. The six Swift plants (meat plants)targeted Tuesday represents all of the company's domestic beef processing capacity and 77 percent of its pork processing capacity. Greeley-based Swift describes itself as the world's second-largest meat processor with sales of about $9 billion.Swift uses a government pilot program to confirm whether Social Security numbers are valid. Company officials have raised questions about the program's ability to detect when two people are using the same number. "I'm glad that ICE is enforcing our immigration laws in light of the illegal immigration crisis we face across the country," Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., said in a statement.

I can see it now, ICE is raiding the Garment District during a council meeting. Clowncil President Garcetti calls a recess. All Clowncil members and "HIS POLLONESS" quickly converge on the scene and proceed to set up a "HUMAN CHAIN OF CONSCIOUS" to protect the "RIGHTS" of these workers. One can hear "HIS POLLONESS" shouting at the ICE officials "THEY MAKE YOUR UNIFORMS!!". Then a staffer(BLACKMAN?), has to remind him that they were produced in China. The ACLU then proceeds to call a press conference to announce that they will file a "CIVIL RIGHTS" Lawsuit on the workers behalf.

The President Carter Library has photos on sale for $25.00 of the "SWAMP RABBIT and the PEANUT PRESIDENT" If you google image "Jimmy Carter and the Rabbit" on can see President Carter fighting back against the "JIHAD BUNNY". Lucky for "JIMMA" that PETA was not around to stalk him on the behalf of the furry guy.

Carter an anti-semite? How quickly those "victim Jews" forget the Camp David summit in which Carter got Menachim Begin and Anwar Sadat - the leader of Israel's most stalwart enemy, to forge a peace treaty. As with anything with these "victim Jews" it's always what have you done for me lately. So what if Antonio shook Carter's hand, the truth is the truth - no matter how much it stings. Let us not forget, that Israel never repudiated South Africa and supported that racist regime until the end. Let us also not forget that Israel also supported - with arms - Latin American butchers like the Samosas in Nicaragua and Mont in Guatemala. Racism begets anti-semitism and as with all idealogies fostered by hate, vice versa.

Jimmah...double digit inflation, prime interest over 20%, wimpy response to an act of war (taking over our embassy) sitting idly by while Iran is taken over by fanatics which we are still paying a price for today, a debacle of a rescue mission. GWB...historic low interest rates, low unemployment, US economy is the envy of the world, US military takes out the Taliban in 2 months....and most of all...ZERO ACTS OF TERRORISM ON US SOIL SINCE 09-11-01. All this while "Jimmah" is running around on his book tour explaining that everything will be OK in the world as long as Israel stops being a "Apartheid" state and makes peace with its enemies that want another holocaust.

Somehow I don't think history will look upon GWB as you have. The Taliban out? NOT Zero acts of terrorism? NOT -the destruction of our civil liberties is an act of terrorism. And, all it takes is one act of terrorism to ruin this country, and that happened under W's watch. You can't compare 52 hostages with 2300 plus deaths pn 9/11 and 3000 dead Americans in Iraq. And of course, there are the lies. If Carter had a political fault it was that he was too honest. The same honesty that's pissing off the neo cons and "victim Jews" right now.